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Who are Safeguard Community Support in Bournemouth?

 This site brings together evidence, concerns and public records so residents can understand who Safeguard Community Service are before supporting or engaging with them. 

 Safeguard Community Support were formerly known as Safeguard Force.

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Read our main concerns
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Safeguard Farce is an independent commentary and public-interest resource site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Safeguard Force, Safeguard Community Support, or any associated organisation.

Are Safeguard Community Support official?

Safeguard Community Support are a vigilante group of volunteers, claiming to be about looking out for the community.

But, how much can we trust a group run by an Asylum Hotel Activist and Reform Candidate?

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What Safeguard Community Support says about itself

according to their website...

What they claim

Safeguard Community Support says its mission is to enhance public safety, protect vulnerable groups, and work with authorities by providing visible deterrence. 

But who oversees this, and what accountability exists? 

Why they formed

Safeguard Community Support says it was created amid concerns over antisocial behaviour, stabbings and assaults in Bournemouth. 

Fear of crime should not be used to justify vigilante patrols.

Who they are

They describe themselves as apolitical, inclusive and non-confrontational, with volunteers including ex-military personnel, security experts, first aiders and local residents. 

Apolitical and inclusive? Our evidence says otherwise.

Who is in charge of Safeguard Community Support?

Here are the founders & key players of Safeguard Community Support.

gary-bartlett

Gary Bartlett

Passionately racist, Gary promptly took down all his Islamophobic hate posts when he had a very sudden change of heart and set up Safeguard Force...

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ritchie-wellman

Ritchie Wellman

Chief Weapons Officer, Ritchie has been photographed looking very approachable and community-focused...

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mark-read

Mark Read

A director of Firmdale Luxury Hotels until March 2026, when he seemingly found love and charity in that cold, corporate heart to become a co-owner of Safeguard Community Support. Oh, he also wants to "Make England Great Again"...

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adam-elcock

(Dis)Honourable mention: Adam Elcock

Described as a "founder" and "supporting member" by the highly reputable Martin Daubney of GB News, but not listed as one. Elcock also ran as a candidate for Reform UK in the New Forest - seems like Safeguard Community Support attract the nicest fellas...

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Safeguard Force rebrand: why did it become Safeguard Community Support?

Safeguard Fuzz

Safeguard Force, the Bournemouth “community safety” group, has now rebranded as Safeguard Community Support — a name change that raises serious questions about the intention and motive behind the group.

While Safeguard Force has presented itself as a volunteer-led patrol organisation, its shift to the softer-sounding “Safeguard Community Support” comes amid growing scrutiny of the people behind the group, and their political links.

For residents searching for information on Safeguard Force Bournemouth, Safeguard Community Support, or the organisation’s background, it is important to look beyond the rebrand and examine the evidence, records and concerns surrounding the group. 

Vigil app: safety tool or surveillance risk?

The Vigil app is promoted as a community safety tool, but public reporting systems are not neutral. In a racist society, “suspicion” is shaped by fear, prejudice and anti-migrant scapegoating.

If people can report others based on subjective concern, especially around asylum hotels or racialised communities, the app risks turning individual bias into organised suspicion.

Read about Vigil app concerns

Do the crime stats prove Safeguard works?

Safeguard Community Support claims to make Bournemouth safer. But Bournemouth South crime statistics do not show a clear reduction since the group started patrols.

The data shows a summer peak, a winter dip, and then a rebound back close to launch-month levels. That is not evidence of effectiveness — it is a normal seasonal pattern.

See Bournemouth crime data

Racism & far-right links

Safeguard Force’s early formation raises serious concerns about anti-migrant rhetoric, Islamophobia and far-right links.

From “fighting-age illegal migrants” rhetoric to the question of how an EDL-linked individual was accepted into the group, Safeguard Community Support has serious questions to answer about its origins, vetting and political culture.

Read racism concerns